Trillium Asset Management LLC Has $43.81 Million Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Trillium Asset Management LLC cut its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 4.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 668,691 shares of the company’s stock after selling 33,232 shares during the quarter. AstraZeneca accounts for 1.1% of Trillium Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $43,813,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Cibc World Markets Corp boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $845,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Veery Capital LLC boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.8% during the third quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 10,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $788,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hardy Reed LLC boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 5.9% during the third quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 3,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of AZN opened at $77.07 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $72.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $72.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $239.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.10, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $62.75 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. On average, analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is currently 91.15%.

AstraZeneca Profile

AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company’s marketed products include Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Lynparza, Calquence, Enhertu, Orpathys, Truqap, Zoladex, Faslodex, Farxiga, Brilinta, Lokelma, Roxadustat, Andexxa, Crestor, Seloken, Onglyza, Bydureon, Fasenra, Breztri, Symbicort, Saphnelo, Tezspire, Pulmicort, Bevespi, and Daliresp for cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, and oncology.